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China says not interfering in Guyana and Venezuela border controversy
By Renay Sambach
Kaieteur News- China’s Deputy Chief of Mission to Guyana, Huang Rui, has stated that China will not interfere in the Guyana and Venezuela border controversy.
China’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Guyana, Huang Rui
The diplomat was at the time addressing reporters during a press briefing hosted at the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown on Wednesday. He said China maintains a strict policy of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. “If you actually follow the Chinese foreign policies, all those policies, as long as possible, you will see, first of all, we never intervene in internal affairs of any nation. The second principle is we always respect [other countries] sovereignty and territorial, that’s all,” Rui added.
China’s remarks came amid heightened tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the long-standing border controversy regarding the resource-rich Essequibo region, which spans over two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass.
The Guyana-Venezuela border controversy is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Despite a December 2023 agreement between President Ali and Venezuelan President Maduro committing to regional peace, on March 1, 2025, a Venezuelan naval vessel entered Guyana’s waters and approached Exxon’s Prosperity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel operating in the oil-rich Stabroek Block and radioed that the FPSO was operating in disputed territory.
The Stabroek Block is operated by American oil major ExxonMobil, which holds a 45 per cent interest, Hess with 30 per cent, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), a Chinese state-owned entity, with a 25 per cent stake. Rui’s remarks were in response to questions about whether CNOOC’s offshore presence signalled broader Chinese involvement, particularly in the face of Venezuela’s aggression.
The Government of Guyana has insisted on the ICJ’s role in providing a conclusive judgment on the matter, noting that it has no intention of having direct dialogue with the Nicolas Maduro regime regarding the border controversy.
In 1899, Guyana (then British Guiana) and Venezuela participated in an Arbitral Award, conclusively settling their border, including the Essequibo territory as part of Guyana. However, prior to Guyana’s independence, Venezuela revived the border controversy. This led to the establishment of the 1966 Geneva Agreement, a legally binding instrument addressing the controversy over the 1899 Arbitral Award and the land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela. The agreement’s Article IV outlined a procedure for mandatory settlement. If bilateral negotiations failed, both countries agreed to refer the matter to the United Nations Secretary General.
Initially, the Secretary General employed the good offices mechanism to facilitate a mutually satisfactory settlement. Despite over 20 years of engagement between Guyana and Venezuela, this process yielded no progress. Consequently, the Secretary General declared the failure of the good offices process. According to Article IV of the Geneva Agreement, the next step was the selection of a new means of dispute resolution. The Secretary General opted for litigation before the International Court of Justice. In March 2018, Guyana submitted an application to the ICJ, seeking a final and binding judgment on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and the boundary between the two States.
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